More serious in feel than its 2018, which was excellent but a little lighter. This has serious tannins and is closer in feel to the 2016. Has the edge of glamour that Lascombes does so well, helped by a blueberry and black cherry fruit focus alongside the tighter blackberry bud notes. The oak finessing is evident but not overdone. Good stuff. Healthy yields of 48hl/ha. 60% new oak. Harvest September 19 to October 16. Tasted twice two weeks apart. 94 points

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Lascombes charges out of the gate with brazen scents of blackcurrant jelly, Black Forest cake and black raspberries plus touches of cedar chest, lilacs, pencil lead, camphor and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses beautiful poise and freshness, with a firm line of ripe, finely grained tannins supporting the intense, crunchy black fruits, finishing on a lingering mineral note. 93-95+ points

The 2019 Lascombes was cropped at 48hl/ha between 19 September and finishing 16 October with the Cabernet Sauvignon. It sees 60% new oak. It offers plenty of dusky blackberry and bilberry on the nose, the aromatics a little stricter than recent vintages with an underlying pencil lead scent that imparts an almost Pauillac-like personality. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. There is quite a bit of new oak here that will need to be assimilated and it slightly pokes out towards the creamy finish, but it is balanced and focused with a persistent aftertaste. Tasted three times. 90-92 points